This morning I read the phrase "a riddle wrapped in an enigma" for the zillionth time and decided to find out from whence it came. Because, you see, for a long time I thought that "a riddle wrapped in an enigma" was an inside-joke of sorts between my best friend Nancy and me in ninth grade. But I see it around all the time, so wherever it was that we had heard it, that's where everyone else had heard it too. And I wanted to remember what that was.

I googled, but it's tough, because EVERYONE uses this super-secret inside joke between me and my best-friend-from-ninth-grade Nancy these days. On the second page, however, someone said it was a Simpsons quote: Lisa says in regard to Nelson "He's not like anybody I've ever met. He's like a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a vest." Welp, mystery solved! Nancy and I sure did watch some Simpsons back in the day, I will tell you what.

However, I kept looking, and it turns out that it's orignally a Winston Churchill quote. Referring to Russia, he once said: "It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key."

i keep an etymology book on hand just for that reason. i'm always thinking, "where'd that come from?" it's an awesome book. good work on this one, sleuth! :)ps - nice new LJ page, annnnd i was just thinking "kerry hasn't posted in ages!" where ya been? hey summer, where ya been?